Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. I absolutely agree with him. As Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence, Deputy Brendan Smith has been doing a huge amount of work to highlight the difficulties for the Border region that Brexit presents. I know that he recently brought parliamentarians to Cavan in order that they could see at first hand the impact that Brexit could have. The Deputy is also a member of the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. The work of that committee is now more important than ever in building bridges and maintaining good relations.

InterTradeIreland continues to work on a cross-Border basis. I am happy to go to the North and talk to businesses there at every opportunity. I attended the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry breakfast in Belfast some time ago, at which I spoke to businesses in Northern Ireland, discussing the impacts of Brexit and the need to strengthen those links. I met the Joint Business Council in Newry recently. That body is affiliated to IBEC. Again, it is about cementing those links and working more closely than ever in the face of Brexit.

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